Works of Wisdom For Thanksgiving & A Lesson We Can Learn From Mother Nature

Happy Thanksgiving - and thank you for joining all the photo fun and photo learning here on my blog over the past six months or so.

And thanks for signing up for the new Digital Photo Experience podcast (co-host is Juan A. Pons), coming December 1st - or sooner if you can find us on iTunes :-)

You'll find lots to learn - and share - in both places in the future!

The Digital Photo Experience has a talented editorial team - which will be announced on Dec. 1st. The team - covering photography, video, iPhones, computers, industry news, etc. - reminds me of a favorite expression that applies to our lives and even to some species of animals - as illustrated by this photograph, which I took in Kenya. See! We can learn a lot from Mother Nature.

The expression:

The path to greatness is along with others.
Baltasar Gracion

That's a good thought to keep in mind if you want your business to grow - no matter what your business.

That expression is from an inspiration book I am working on. Here are a few quotes from that project. Enjoy - and Happy Holidays!

Rick

You don't drown by falling in water; you only drown if you stay there.
Zig Ziglar

Fear an ignorant man more than a lion.
Turkish Proverb

You never really know your friends from your enemies until the ice breaks.
Eskimo proverb

Sometimes your only available transportation is a leap of faith.
Margaret Shepard

A tortoise travels only when it sticks out its neck.
Chinese proverb

Possible Cover Images For My HDR Book. Help Me Decide?

Hi All

Here are two images that are under consideration for the cover of my HDR book - due out early next year.

Which one do you like best - the obvious HDR shot (left) or the more natural-looking HDR shot? Could you do me a favor and let me know here?

You gotta try to imagine type placed over the images.

Here is an article I wrote on HDR for PCPhoto magazine. Enjoy.

I'll also be teaching HDR at Photoshop World in Orlando in March!n

Next week, I will have an HDR gallery on the Digital Photo Experience.

Explore the Light,
Rick

What's Old is New Again

Glub, Glub!

I just approved my recent ScanCafe order - my favorite underwater slides. Glub, Glub! I can't wait to use Photoshop and Lightroom to enhance my images.

Will be fun. Look ma, no more backscatter.

Hey! Here is an old article on underwater photography that you may enjoy. Good info on saving the reef, too. (Before writing about all this digital stuff, I wrote 7 underwater books! Dived in Lake Baikal, too!)

Check out ScanCafe, and check out my current ScanCafe Photo Contest.

Explore the Light,
Rick
P.S. Staying in the Underwater Hotel was cool!

Use Your Camera Like a Spaceship

Here's an idea: Use your camera like a spaceship. Rather than taking all your pictures at eye level, move your camera up and down and shoot from different heights. Tilt it down to the left or right - or up or down. Rotate your camera during a long exposure.

Break all the rules. Have fun.

I took this shot in Cuba while kneeling on the ground. I enhanced the already great color with Topaz Adjust. More info on Topaz and ordering info on the Plug-in Experience.

Explore the Light,

Rick

This blog post sponsored by ExpoImaging.

Embrace the Situation

Hey Gang

Here's a thought: When you are not 100 percent happy with a photo situation, embrace the situation! That's what I did today when I was shooting in a cool junkyard in Utah. At first, I did not want my shadow in the scene. For the angle I wanted, however, I could not avoid it. (Sure, I could have cloned it out.)

So, I embraced the situation and included my shadow. It's one of my favorite HDR images from the shoot. The others? They, and others from this trip, will be in my HDR book - coming early next year.

Explore the Light,

Rick

P.S. Speaking of shadows, time is almost up for my ScanCafe shadow photo contest. Click here for info.